Dr Anna Franz

Dr Anna Franz BSc(Heidelberg), MSc(Cantab.), PhD(Cantab.)

Research Associate

Area of research

Studying the role of fat body cells in wound healing in Drosophila: I use the genetic tractability and translucency of Drosophila pupae to investigate aspects of wound repair and inflammation. In particular I have become fascinated by the function of fat body cells, the fly adipocytes, in the pupal repair process. The fat body performs several important systemic functions throughout the fly life cycle including growth control, storage and regulation of lipids and carbohydrates and the production of antimicrobial peptides after infection. I think that all of these systemic functions of the fat body could be very pivotal during the local wound healing response and I am currently investigating this.

Research summary

Biography

I did my undergraduate studies at Heidelberg University and spend 6 months at Durham University as an exchange student. I then moved to Cambridge and Oxford to do my PhD in Prof Jordan Raff's lab as part of the Wellcome Trust 4-year PhD programme in Developmental Biology. I'm now working as a post-doc joined between Prof Paul Martin and Prof Will Wood at Bristol University.